China Pet Regulations

The regulations below just apply for the pet dogs and cats. The owner of other pets shall contact the Chinese consulate, or the police station if you are in China, for the requirements.

Entering China with Pets

One adult is able to take one cat or dog into China.

Each pet must have a rabies vaccination certificate to prove it have been vaccinated against rabies within one year and at least 30 days prior to entry into China.

Each pet must have an official health certificate issued by the government of the exporter. The certificate should include name of owner, name of pet, type of pet (dog/cat and breed), age, weight (and height for dogs), sex, plus a general declaration that the pet is vaccinated and in good health. And the name of owner shall be same with the name on your passport.

Leaving China with Pets

An official Exit Health Certificate is required for the cat or dog departing China. The certificate is able to be obtained from a designated government quarantine hospital. You need send your pet to the hospital for the examination at least 7 days prior to your departure. And the certificate will be issued in five workdays.

Pet registration

All pet dogs need be registered in China. But the city’s regulations are different. You need to contact the local police office for further information on registration of your dog.(Local cities inconsistently mandate to have dogs registered with the police stations. We recommend checking with local officials, due to risk of rabies control measures. When rabies cases are detected, some local governments might order all pet animals within a radius of 5km destroyed).

Very little chance that a cat will randomly attack a person - which has been known to happen with dogs. There are many dog bite/injuries reported yearly in every country, often with dog bites to the face and hands - especially on small children. This face biting is a common activity that dogs practice on each other to gain dominance. As the child is considered an equal - due to their small size, the dog would try to gain dominance and likely to bite the child. For this reason, it's important that dogs be carefully regulated, especially in an area with high population of humans. While most dogs are not dangerous, it's good to have registration, so the owner can be located if a dog does attack.